Japan on high alert for 'huge' second earthquake after lifting tsunami warning

Officials in Japan have warned of an increased risk of a "huge" earthquake in the next week after a 7.7 magnitude quake struck off the north-east coast, triggering an evacuation order and warnings of 3m (10ft) tsunami waves. Thousands of people were told to leave coastal areas for higher ground after the quake in waters off Iwate prefecture, 530km (330 miles) north of the capital Tokyo. The biggest tsunami waves measured 80cm. Tsunami warnings and advisories were lifted hours after the quake on Monday. But Japan's meteorological agency has warned that quakes "causing even stronger shaking" could occur in the next week, producing bigger waves. Authorities said the risk of a quake measuring 8.0 magnitude or higher was "relatively higher than during normal times". People in Japan are still scarred by memories of a huge quake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami which killed more than 18,000 people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. After Monday's undersea quake, recorded at a depth of 10km, warnings of possible bigger waves were issued to residents in areas nearest the epicentre - in Japan's main island, Honshu, and the northern region of Hokkaido. In Hokkaido tsunami a